Sunday, October 16, 2005

Our Stake apparently will be participating in a pilot program to help reduce the costs of missionary work. Apparently some qualified and willing members will be sought who can provide rooms for missionaries at low cost rather than renting normal apartments. Might be difficult to implement, but if even a few people can participate, it could make a big dent in the average cost of supporting missionaries. Hope it works! I appreciate the prudent efforts of the Church to look for ways to keep costs down and reduce the financial burden of families supporting missionaries.

I served in Mexico City North, '98-'00 and lived with members in one of my areas as well. As I recall, this used to take place several years ago in the States also, and there were rules about elders not living in homes where teenage/single girls resided. Correct me if I dreamed that one up.

I have a pair of sisters that live below me in my building. When I do see them leave the apt in the mornings, it is after 10 AM. Some mornings they just stay in. I wonder if the rules in this mission are different and they get to sleep in several times a week.

In one of my areas, we lived with members. Hated it. It was a husband and wife and baby. The little boy was adorable, but the husband and wife were always fighting. Finally, the wife took the baby and left her husband. She came back a week later, but we were basically living with a single guy for that week (we mentioned it to our district leader, but he forgot to pass it up the chain). The husband was understandably upset, but he would come downstairs (where we had our room) and sob his woes to us. It was really, really uncomfortable.

My companion and I were double-transferred out, and elders were put into the area. They moved out of that house and into an apartment about a month later. They couldn't deal with the stay-at-home mom telling them their district meetings were taking too long.

Because of that experience (including many things not mentioned in this comment), I would be incredibly hesitant to have missionaries stay with members. It's so easy to be a bad situation.

I grew up in the area served by the California Anaheim mission (one of the most expensive real estate markets in the U.S.), and when I was young virtually all missionaries lived with members. This seems to have changed in the last decade, however, as most missionaries I know now live in apartments. I can only guess the higher cost was seen as justified due to difficulties like the one Tanya mentioned.

Re. anonymous' comment about missionaries in his building getting out late or not at all: It should come as no surprise to anyone who has been an LDS missionary or has been acquainted with them that there are various levels of performance among different individuals and companionships. Many are faithful to mission rules and try their best to use their time wisely. Some are lazy and look for ways to cut corners. (I confess I had some periods on my mission where I overslept from time to time.)

That its ministers are imperfect should not reflect on the truth or error of the restored gospel.

And, to some extent, this is evidence of the truth of the LDS Church. As J. Golden Kimball famously remarked, "The Church must be true; if it wasn't, ignoramus missionaries would have destroyed it long ago."

I know in the Oregon Portland Mission there were a few areas where Missionaries lived with members. The one area I was in was the basement of a counselor in the Mission President. (That was a sweet apartment!) It seemed be the exception, rather than the rule. Perhaps because of the burden on members.

The previous post makes several presumptions that are not founded in LDS scripture or doctrine, such as a "burning in the bosom" being the only evidence or experience one needs before making a decision.

LDS scripture (particularly the Doctrine and Covenants) is clear that the proper way to get revelation is to study out a question, experiment on it, come to a conclusion, and then take that conclusion to the Lord.

Only deluded critics and naive members would suggest that Mormonism works on "blind faith."

I suggest that Jeff turn on the switch that requires someone to be a registered blogger before they can comment. They don't have to have a blog, or even have a profile, but it would at least weed out some of the drive-by trolls. And those who wanted to play the multiple-personality game would have to jump through a couple hoops.

OK back to the issue. We owned a triplex with my mother in one unit, My husband and I in one and a renter in the other in Chino Hills, Ca, had trouble with our renter. So we offered it to the mission, they accepted and it worked beautifully for 5 years until we sold. We agreed to accept less for the rental, but the blessings compensated. We had our missionaries, plus the zone leaders. Once in awhile they got a little noisy.

I host sister missionaries, no pay, just $75. for utilities. They're learning to be neat and clean up after themselves; they study until noon most days, then go out to meet with contacts provided by members in my ward. No one sleeps in; they get up at six thirty a.m., go to bed by 10:30 p.m., following mission rules, study and planning being among thoae rules, which is done in the morning and after 9 p.m. til they go to bed. Clearly, some of you do not know what church rules are regarding housing missionaries and following mission rules, both for the missionaries and for the person housing them.